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Timor Leste Archbishop urges country's president-elect to uphold Constitution

Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, Archbishop of Dili (Photo supplied)

The Democratic Republic of Timor Leste held the second round of presidential elections on April 19. 

The independence leader and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has been re-elected president of Timor-Leste for a second term.

He was the country's president from 2007 to 2012. 

The country's presidential elections were held in two phases since no candidate received a majority of votes in the first round of voting last March 19.

According to state election officials, Ramos Horta earned the most votes in the second round, 62.09 percent. He will be sworn in on May 20, the 20th anniversary of this Asia's youngest nation. 

Francisco Guterres, the country's current president got 37.91 percent of the votes.

Archbishop Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili expressed optimism that the president-elect will uphold the country's Constitution.

"I hope that whoever is elected president returns to the state Constitution since it serves as a check on the country's capacity to operate properly," said Archbishop da Silva.

“We must maintain the constitution and instill discipline in all residents to permanently convert our nation into a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic society," said da Silva after casting his vote in Dili.

As he sees it, whoever is elected must act as a father figure for the country's people and be respected by all political groups.

“As the head of the country,” he said, “There should be no differentiation in service based on supporters, but rather that everyone must see the same thing because most of the country's people have already chosen their president, who must act as universal leader.”

On top of that, the Salesian Archbishop congratulated the people of Timor Leste for their participation in the elections, both in the first and the second round.

According to the analyst, the new president will have a hard time getting the country out of poverty.

“The expectation for the new president is that he would promote peace and stability than instability, chaos, and economic crises,” Acacio Pinto, a social scientist, and Catholic leader told RAV News.

The road to democracy has been challenging, as governments have struggled to combat widespread poverty, unemployment, and corruption. Its economy is based on the dwindling profits from offshore oil.

As many as 42% of the people living in East Timor live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank's report. This is a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since achieving independence from Indonesia, this Southeast Asian nation of 15,410 square kilometers and 1,167,242 residents has grown to be Asia's second-most Catholic country (after the Philippines), with around 98.3 percent of the population being Catholic.

Dili, Maliana, and Baucau are the three dioceses in the country. 

 

Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.”  Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.

Comments

Fransiskus Borgias, Apr 22 2022 - 10:48am
Thanks so much father kasmir for this updating news related to some issues related to politics, church and so on and so fort... again thanks so much
Greetings, Fransiskus. I appreciate your time in reading the article. Indeed, our primary mission is to communicate a message of hope and optimism to our congregations. I'm glad that the Archbishop delivered his prophetic message to Timor Leste's president-elect, emphasizing the church's role in voicing the voiceless's voice.
Hello Fransiskus Borgias! Thank you for your feedback. You are part of the growing online community of RVA. If you would not mind taking our short survey to help us improve our programming. Copy and open this link, https://sprw.io/stt-e5a5e21750
Abel Antonio Belo , Apr 23 2022 - 12:47pm
Good news. Congratulations Avô Ramos Horta, we hope that you can lead our Country of Timor Leste and open new job for the young people who is struggling for their hunting job and unemployment. May God bless your for your next dedication and hard work coming years.
Hello Abel Antonio Belo! Thank you for your feedback. You are part of the growing online community of RVA. If you would not mind taking our short survey to help us improve our programming. Copy and open this link, https://sprw.io/stt-e5a5e21750
Precious Alhu, Apr 27 2022 - 11:07pm
Good evening and Thank you Fr.Kasmir for the update. I am glad to read the news that uploaded regarding the country of East Timor, especially the unitedness of the Church leaders and the government. We pray that may this new elected President is really focus on the development in the country and listen to the cry of the poor.
thank you po.
Hello Precious Alhu! Thank you for your feedback. You are part of the growing online community of RVA. If you would not mind taking our short survey to help us improve our programming. Copy and open this link, https://sprw.io/stt-e5a5e21750